Royals' Carlos Estevez: Allows homer in four-out save
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Estevez allowed one run on three hits and struck out two without walking a batter over 1.1 innings, earning the save in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Mariners.
Estevez got the last out of the eighth inning, but he found some trouble after Dominic Canzone led off the ninth with a solo shot to cut the Royals' lead to one. Estevez allowed two more singles, and a wild pitch put both runners in scoring position, but he struck out Julio Rodriguez and got Cal Raleigh to ground out, ending the threat. Despite allowing the homer, it doesn't get much more clutch than what Estevez pulled off. He's converted seven straight saves since his blown save in the first game of a June 5 doubleheader versus the Cardinals, though he has allowed three solo home runs over 10.1 innings since then. Overall, Estevez is at a 2.19 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 32:14 K:BB while converting 24 of 27 save chances this year.
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Royals' Carlos Estevez: No trouble in 23rd save
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Estevez pitched a perfect inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Mariners.
Estevez retired the side on 12 pitches (nine strikes), picking up his first save since June 20. He had just one appearance in between saves, as the Royals went 1-8 over the nine-game stretch in that span. Estevez has been strong as a traditional closer for the Royals, converting 23 of 26 save chances with a 2.02 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 30:14 K:BB across 35.2 innings. His career high in saves is 31 with the Angels in 2023, a mark he has a good chance of surpassing this year.
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Royals' Carlos Estevez: Secures 22nd save
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Estevez gave up a run on one hit in the ninth inning Friday to record his 22nd save of the season in a 6-5 win over the Padres.
A Manny Machado solo shot to lead off the ninth made things nervous for the Royals, but Estevez shook it off and got infield pop-ups from the next three batters. The 32-year-old righty now leads the majors in saves, converting six of seven chances in June while posting a 3.24 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 5:4 K:BB over 8.1 innings.
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Royals' Carlos Estevez: Collects 21st save
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Estevez earned the save in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Rangers after recording no strikeouts in a perfect ninth inning.
For the second night in a row, Estevez was brought in for the ninth to protect a three-run lead, and he needed only 11 pitches (seven strikes) to retire the side. He has converted 16 of his last 17 save opportunities, and his 21 saves is tied with Robert Suarez for most in the majors. Estevez sports a 1.93 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 28:14 K:BB across 32.2 innings this season.
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Royals' Carlos Estevez: Bounces back in nightcap
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Estevez pitched a perfect inning and struck out one to earn the save in a 7-5 win over the Cardinals in Game 2 of Thursday's doubleheader.
Estevez pitched in the day game as well, blowing a save and taking a loss in the 10th inning, but he threw just 10 pitches in that contest. That left him fresh enough to protect a two-run lead in the nightcap, and he was able to get the job done this time to earn his 18th save in 21 chances this season. He has a 1.95 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 26:12 K:BB across 27.2 innings while going relatively unchallenged as the Royals' closer.
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Royals' Carlos Estevez: Hangs on for 17th save
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Estevez recorded the save in Tuesday's 10-7 win over the Cardinals after allowing one hit and one walk in a scoreless ninth inning. He struck out two.
Estevez's control was a bit shaky -- just 10 of his 18 pitches were strikes -- but that didn't stop him from turning in his ninth consecutive scoreless outing. The hard-throwing right-hander hasn't blown a save since April 22, and he holds a sparkling 0.59 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 15:2 K:BB with 12 saves across his last 15.1 innings. With 17 saves for the year, Estevez is tied with Andres Munoz for the American League lead in that category.
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Royals' Carlos Estevez: Collects 12th save
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Estevez secured the save in Monday's 7-5 victory over Houston, allowing one hit and no walks over a scoreless inning with one strikeout.
After conceding a leadoff single to Jose Altuve in the ninth, Estevez cleanly retired the next three batters to bag his 94th career save. The 32-year-old has converted his last seven save opportunities, cementing him as the Kansas City closer. Overall, Estevez has pitched to a 2.37 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 17:9 K:BB across 19 innings.
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Royals' Carlos Estevez: Secures 10th save
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Estevez collected the save in Monday's 3-0 win against the White Sox, allowing one hit and no walks over a scoreless inning with no strikeouts.
The Kansas City closer required only eight pitches, seven of which were strikes, to retire the side and lock down the Royals' 20th win. Since his last blown save April 22 against Colorado, Estevez has made five consecutive scoreless appearances over which he's bagged five saves. Through 16 innings, he has pitched to a 2.25 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 13:9 K:BB while not allowing a home run.
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Royals' Carlos Estevez: Picks up save Tuesday
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Estevez allowed a hit in a scoreless inning while earning a save against the Rays on Tuesday. He struck out one batter.
Estevez gave up a single to Jose Caballero but had no trouble finishing the 3-1 win. It was Estevez's eighth save in 10 chances, and he's now converted three straight. He dropped his ERA to 2.57 with a 12:9 K:BB across 14 frames.
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Royals' Carlos Estevez: Charged with blown save
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Estevez was charged with a blown save after allowing three runs on one hit and three walks Tuesday against the Rockies. He did not record a strikeout.
Estevez was brought in for the ninth inning to protect a two-run lead. He got two outs on just four pitches but then proceeded to load the bases with three straight walks, and Jacob Stallings made him pay with a bases-clearing double. The Royals were able to get a run back in the ninth to send the game to extras and save Estevez from a loss, but Estevez has now issued a walk in three straight appearances and has an unsightly 1:5 K:BB in four innings over that span. For the season, he owns a 3.27 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 10:9 K:BB in 11 innings.
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Royals' Carlos Estevez: Fans side for save
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Estevez allowed a hit in a scoreless inning during Sunday's win over Cleveland. He struck out three and earned a save.
Estevez coughed up a single to Steven Kwan to open the ninth inning but punched out the next three batters he faced to close out the 4-2 win. It was Estevez's fifth save in six chances. He dropped his ERA to 1.29 with a 9:4 K:BB through seven innings this season. Estevez has collected five of Kansas City's six saves so far.
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Royals' Carlos Estevez: Picks up fourth save
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Estevez earned the save in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Twins, allowing a hit while striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning.
Estevez found himself in trouble, allowing a one-out single before hitting Harrison Bader with a pitch to put the tying and go-ahead runs on base. However, the right-hander struck out Matt Wallner before inducing a groundout from Willi Castro to seal the Royals' one-run victory. While it hasn't always come easily, Estevez has converted four of Kansas City's five save chances this year while allowing one earned run on three hits and four walks in his first six innings.
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Royals' Carlos Estevez: Shaky in third save
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Estevez picked up the save in Monday's 4-2 win against the Twins, allowing one run on a hit and a walk. He struck out one.
For the second consecutive day, Estevez was called upon for a save chance; however, unlike Sunday, this outing was not clean. After inducing a flyout to open the ninth, the right-hander allowed three of the next four batters to reach, including Harrison Bader knocking an RBI single. Estevez then generated a groundball to wrap up his 23-pitch outing. The 32-year-old remains the preferred closer in Kansas City but does not have much room for error with Lucas Erceg lurking.
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Royals' Carlos Estevez: Collects second save
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Estevez secured the save in Sunday's 4-1 win against the Orioles, pitching a clean inning with a strikeout.
After blowing a save in his last outing Wednesday against Milwaukee, Estevez righted the ship with this performance, retiring the side succinctly on nine pitches. The offseason addition continues to be the main saves source in Kansas City over Lucas Erceg, as Estevez has entered the ninth in all three save chances for the Royals.
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Royals' Carlos Estevez: Blows save in 10th inning
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Estevez was charged with the blown save Wednesday against the Brewers after he allowed an unearned run on a hit and two walks during the 10th inning. He struck out one.
The right-hander was called upon for the bottom of the 10th inning with a 2-1 lead, but he quickly blew the save as leadoff man Jackson Chourio brought home the designated runner with a double. A balk and two intentional walks then loaded the bases with no outs, but Estevez successfully navigated the tightrope and retired the next three batters to force an 11th inning. The 32-year-old has recorded the Royals' lone save through seven games and has yet to allow an earned run in three appearances this year. Estevez is currently the lead man for saves in Kansas City, though setup man Lucas Erceg should also see some opportunities.
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Royals' Carlos Estevez: Makes spring debut
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Estevez (back) made his first appearance of spring training Friday, giving up one unearned run and two hits over an inning. "I feel great," Estevez told MLB.com. "Everything is going well with my body, and I'm in a good spot. For me, it usually takes me three, maybe four outings to say, 'OK, this is it, this is the point I want to be at.'"
Estevez has been slowed in camp by lower-back tightness, but the Royals say they are confident he'll be ready for Opening Day. He'll make six appearances between major-league and minor-league games barring any setbacks before spring training ends, according to MLB.com. Estevez is expected to be the primary closer for the Royals, with Lucas Erceg also getting some save chances.
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Royals' Carlos Estevez: Slated for Cactus League debut
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Estevez (back) is scheduled to make his Cactus League debut Friday against the Angels, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Estevez has been slowed in camp by lower-back tightness but has been throwing off a mound without issue for several days and is nearly ready to test himself in a game setting. The 32-year-old is expected to have enough time to get ready for Opening Day and projects to begin the season as the Royals' closer.
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Royals' Carlos Estevez: Signing with Kansas City
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Estevez agreed to a two-year, $20.2 million contract with the Royals on Wednesday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.
The deal also reportedly features a $13 million club option for 2027 with a $2 million buyout. Estevez is coming off the best year of his career, finishing 2024 with a 2.45 ERA and 0.91 WHIP through 55 regular-season innings while converting 26 saves between the Angels and Phillies. Now in Kansas City, the 32-year-old righty is likely to take over as the Royals' primary closer, which would push Lucas Erceg into a setup role.
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Phillies' Carlos Estevez: Earns 26th save
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Estevez earned the save against the Mets on Saturday, allowing one hit in a scoreless ninth inning.
Estevez was summoned to protect a 6-4 lead in the ninth and worked around a leadoff single to secure his sixth save with the Phillies. The 31-year-old has yielded just four earned runs in 17 appearances since being traded while continuing to see the bulk of ninth-inning opportunities. On the year, he is 26-for-31 in save chances with a 2.22 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 48:9 K:BB across 52.2 innings.
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Phillies' Carlos Estevez: Secures save No. 25
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Estevez gave up a hit in a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday to record his 25th save of the season in a 3-2 win over the Rays.
The right-hander bounced back from a blown save Monday, firing seven of 10 pitches for strikes to set down the bottom of Tampa Bay's order. Estevez has blown two of seven save chances since joining the Phillies at the trade deadline, but over 17.2 innings for his new squad he's posted a stellar 2.04 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 16:4 K:BB. He's the primary ninth-inning option for Rob Thomson, although the team's deep bullpen gives the manager plenty of alternatives against specific matchups, or when Estevez needs a breather.
